Massacre at Sakiet III
- Artist: André Fougeron
- Date: 1958
- Medium: Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions: unconfirmed: 970 x 1950 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
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About this artwork
This is the “Massacre at Sakiet III” by André Fougeron. Painted in 1958 with oil on canvas, it responds to the brutal French bombing of the village of Sakiet Sidi Youssef on 8 February 1958, an event that claimed 68 civilian lives during the Algerian War of Independence. Fougeron completed the work only a few months after the atrocity, channeling the shock of a colonial power’s violence. The composition is stark: a sweeping landscape under a bleak sky, broken by a line of military boots at the top that explicitly points to French involvement. The painting became a flashpoint in its day, challenging viewers to confront the reality of colonial oppression. It stands alongside Fougeron’s other politically engaged pieces, offering a visual indictment of state‑sanctioned brutality. The work’s raw, almost realist style makes the tragedy feel immediate, as if the viewer were witnessing the aftermath of a war that reshaped an entire nation.
See it in person
Massacre at Sakiet III is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
